三星推出平板电脑 挑战苹果iPad

三星推出平板电脑挑战苹果iPad
Samsung Electronics Co. unveiled the Galaxy Tab, its take on Apple Inc.'s iPad, as more companies race to enter the nascent tablet market.
Samsung won't sell the Galaxy Tab directly to consumers. Samsung product executive Hankil Yoon said it would likely retail for between $200 and $300, although the final price would vary depending on wireless-carrier subsidies.
The gadget, which runs on Google Inc.'s Android software, comes with a cellular connection and features a seven-inch screen. The tablet will debut in Italy, moving to other markets as Samsung locks in more carrier deals.
Vodafone Group PLC, the world's biggest mobile operator, said it would start selling the Galaxy Tab in most of its European markets and some other markets next month.
The tablet is expected to be offered in the U.S. over the next few months, but Samsung said it is in talks with multiple U.S. carriers.
The Galaxy Tab is essentially an enlarged version of Samsung's new Galaxy S smartphone, which is available through AT&T Inc., Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile USA and Sprint Nextel Corp.
Mr. Yoon said Samsung expects to ship 10 million Galaxy Tabs and take a third of the global tablet market next year. Samsung is exploring the possibility of a tablet with a 10-inch or six-inch screen, and Mr. Yoon said the company plans eventually to introduce a family of Galaxy Tab devices.
Samsung follows Dell Inc., which unveiled its Streak tablet through AT&T last month. More tablets are expected for the holiday selling season.
The iPad sold three million units after 80 days in the market following its launch in early April. Research firm iSuppli expects the iPad to control three-quarters of the tablet market this year.
Like the iPad, the Galaxy Tab customizes core applications, such as email, to take advantage of the larger screen. It offers Wi-Fi capabilities and provides a hub for reading magazines, books and newspapers.
The Galaxy Tab's seven-inch screen allows for a slimmer profile than the iPad, which has a 9.7-inch screen. Also, the Samsung device supports the latest version of Adobe Flash -- something the iPad doesn't do -- enabling the Tab to show more video found on the Internet.
It features a camera on each side of the device, as well as a slot for expandable memory. It also has the capability to make phone calls, but carriers will decide whether that capability will be offered.
The Galaxy Tab will run on Android 2.2, the latest version, and will have access to the Android Marketplace for applications.
But Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi said she was concerned about how many apps will be designed specifically for the device. The iPad already benefits from more than 25,000 apps that utilize its larger screen.
三星电子（Samsung Electronics Co.）发布了平板电脑产品Galaxy Tab，与苹果公司（Apple Inc.）iPad竞争。

目前越来越多的公司争相加入到方兴未艾的平板电脑市场。

三星不会将Galaxy Tab直接卖给消费者。

三星产品主管Hankil Yoon说，零售价可能介于200美元到300美元，但最终价格可能因移动运营商的补贴有所不同。

该产品采用谷歌（Google Inc.）Android操作软件，拥有一个手机接口和7英寸大的屏幕。

该产品将首先登陆意大利，待与更多运营商达成合作后再扩展至其他市场。

全球最大的移动运营商沃达丰空中通讯公司（Vodafone Group PLC）说，将会于下个月在其大部分欧洲市场及部分其他市场销售Galaxy Tab。

预计该产品将在未来几个月内进入美国市场，但三星说还在与多家美国运营商协商谈判。

Galaxy Tab实际上是大号的三星新款智能手机Galaxy S，该手机在美国电话电报公司（AT&T Inc.）、德国电信（Deutsche Telekom AG）的T-Mobile美国公司及 Sprint Nextel Corp.都有出售。

Hankil Yoon说，三星预计Galaxy Tab明年的销量能达到1000万台，占领全球三分之一的平板电脑市场。

三星正在研发10英寸或6英寸屏幕的平板电脑，Hankil Yoon说公司计划最终推出一系列Galaxy Tab产品。

戴尔（Dell Inc.）上个月通过美国电话电报公司发布了平板电脑Streak，三星紧随其后。

预计圣诞节销售季将会有更多的平板产品。

自今年4月初发布后，iPad在上市头80天内售出300万台。

研究公司iSuppli 预计iPad将会控制今年四分之三的平板电脑市场。

与iPad一样，Galaxy Tab对电子邮件等核心应用程序进行定制，充分利用显示屏较大的优势。

该产品有Wi-Fi功能，并有阅读杂志、书籍和报纸的集成中心。

相对于有9.7英寸屏幕的iPad，Galaxy Tab 7英寸的显示屏使整个平板电脑更加轻薄。

同时，三星的这款平板电脑支持最新版本的Adobe Flash，能播放更多的网络视频，而iPad不具备此功能。

该产品机身两侧都有摄像头，还有内存扩展槽。

它还可以打电话，但是否具备这个功能将取决于运营商。

Galaxy Tab将采用最新的Android 2.2系统，可以访问Android Marketplace
商店下载应用程序。

但是Gartner分析师米拉尼斯（Carolina Milanesi）说，她担心专门针对Galaxy Tab设计的应用程序太少。

iPad如此成功，部分原因就是因为有25,000多个专门的应用程序。